11 Amazing Benefits of Yoga for Physical & Mental Health
Image by pressfoto on Freepik
Over the last few decades, there has been an upsurge in the popularity of Yoga.
Yoga is a form of exercise that involves a combination of physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation. It’s a way of living that aims towards a healthy mind in a healthy body. Humans are a physical, mental and spiritual beings and Yoga helps develop the balance between all three stated in Ayurveda.
While modern media and advertisement agencies may have portrayed that yoga is all about physical postures & asanas, the entirety of yoga includes a wide range of contemplative and self-disciplinary practices.
Here are 11 amazing benefits you experience in your physical and mental health after incorporating yoga into your daily life:
1. Yoga for flexibility
Yoga postures help to increase flexibility and balance in the body, which can help to reduce the risk of injury and improve overall mobility. If you haven’t heard about yoga’s ability to increase flexibility, you might have been living under a rock for the past two decades. It is worth practicing yoga regularly to gain more flexibility to build muscle memory.
2. Yoga for strength
While most people associate yoga with stretching and flexibility, various yoga asanas can also be considered yoga for strength-building. Yoga isn’t just about stretching and bending your body; it also requires a surprising amount of strength, and after such heavy yoga sessions, you can use Red Tiger Balm to relax your sore muscles and prevent muscle pain. Physical strength is important to avoid injury, boost the immune system and metabolism, and help make everyday tasks easier. Strength-building Yoga postures help you increase muscle strength and stamina, which can help to improve overall fitness making yoga asanas a versatile form of exercise.
3. Yoga for focus
Yoga can help to increase focus and concentration by promoting mindfulness and relaxation. Research has shown that after regular yoga practice, you are able to focus your mental resources effectively, process information more precisely and learn, hold and update pieces of information more quickly. In yoga, you develop & train the mind to become aware and present.
4. Yoga for anxiety
Yoga can improve mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. The physical postures and breathing techniques help to release tension in the body and meditation helps to quiet the mind and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for promoting relaxation and reducing stress. Overall, yoga helps to improve mental health, reduce feelings of anxiousness and improve overall well-being.
5. Yoga for immune system
Yoga and Immunity go hand in hand. Yoga works towards healing and enhancing every cell in the body, which in turn improves your immunity. Stress can suppress the immune system, so when you practice yoga regularly, it reduces your stress which ultimately helps your immune system to function more effectively & your body automatically becomes more immune.
6. Yoga for positivity
People mostly select doing yoga to increase flexibility but remember that physical practice is just one aspect of yoga. Meditation, breath work and auditory rituals like chanting and sound therapy can make your mind and body rejuvenated and refreshed. Some people also incorporate aromatherapy, like White sage smudging, with meditation and yoga to feel energized & mental clarity after yoga sessions.
7. Yoga for stress relieve
Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best benefits of yoga is how it helps a person manage stress, which is known to have devastating effects on your mental and physical health. Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness, which has been proven to lessen tension and relieve stress significantly.
8. Yoga for healthy heart
The Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine published a review of the overall effects of Pranayama, often referred to as Yogic breathing, on our human body. One key takeaway was that yogic breathing can significantly improve the functioning of several systems and organs in the body.
In the review, they specifically highlighted that the cardiovascular system benefited highly from controlling the pace of breathing, as evidenced by favorable changes in heart rate, stroke capacity & lowering blood pressure.
9. Yoga for Healing
Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages and if unfortunately, you’re going through an illness, recovering from surgery or living with chronic pain, yoga can become a critical part of your treatment and potentially help you quickly return to health.
10. Yoga for Arthritis
The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga asanas can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, sore muscles & other joint pain in adults and elderly people. Yoga asanas help to stretch muscles and joints, improving flexibility and range of motion which reduce the stress and tension in the body, which can contribute to pain. Furthermore, yoga can also stimulate the production of endorphins, a natural pain-relieving chemical in the body.
11. Yoga for Weight loss
Regular yoga asanas practice increases your flexibility and strength, which leads to improving your metabolism and helps in burning calories faster. Certain yoga asanas can be very physically demanding and will increase your heart rate and burn calories during yoga sessions. Yoga also encourages mindful eating, so you are less likely to do emotional eating and promote healthy eating habits. Yoga can be a helpful addition to your weight loss plan but is not a substitute for healthy eating and regular exercise.
While some regard yoga as simply one more exaggerated fad, pushed by those with a little too much free time and too much new age mysticism, others vouch for how astonishing and beneficial this form of exercise really is to your overall health and mentality.
What I personally feel and observed is that yoga focusses on idealizing harmony between your mind, body, and soul. When your mind and body work in synchronised manner everything functions brilliantly within you, you will draw out the best of your capabilities.
Yoga transforms your life and broadens your horizons in ways you can never imagine. It is absolutely worth trying, if you don’t believe us, try it!